college football media guides

Some of these puppies are unbelievable.

We all know they're recruiting brochures now, but c'mon. Twelve of Missouri's 208 pages are devoted to nothing but pictures of all the equipment that Mizzou players have available to them -- from facemasks to gloves to shorts and T-shirts and shoes. Oh yeah, there are four chinstraps to chose from.

Records and 2005 stats? Fuhgetaboutit.

 

But we can't forget how the NCAA had to restrict page limits because of Missouri's media guide. Missouri has a history of making an encyclopedia of sorts for the Missouri Media Guide. I think one year, either last or two years ago, it was more than 350 pages. (I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure on this one)

 

Well they do have ungodly amounts of amazing journalists at that school just waiting to get into the biz, so that's probably why it's so large. :

 

Not to mention their ungodly sized Sports Information staff. I mean, I know they're a "premiere" sports school [/sarcasm] but does half the student body need to work for the SID's office?

 

Two years ago (before the NCAA restrictions on media guides), it was more than 600 pages. But with a rich football tradition like Missouri's, that much space obviously is necessary.

 

You're right, it was that long. I couldn't remember how big it was, I just knew it was MUCH larger than the Missouri State media guide I worked on putting together. I had a copy of the Missouri media guide that did not make the move with me after I graduated. It was heavier than my mattresses [/overexagerration]

 

208 pages is more than enough. I've seen quality I-A football media guides of about 140 pages.

I don't understand why the NCAA doesn't let schools compile a simple 24-page recruiting guide, with all the pertinent info/hype/photos of administrators/facilities, info on the local community/prominent graduates, etc., so each school doesn't have to include all that shit in every media guide it issues, no matter the sport.

 

Because Texas and Notre Dame can put out a nicer recruiting guide than everybody else and that just wouldn't be fair.

 

The limit should be 150 pages. You can get more than enough info in that amount of space.

 

Is Missouri confusing itself with Michigan or something?

 

The Missouri guide from two years ago is sitting on the shelf behind me, and I don't want to pick it up for fear of hurting my back. I do remember they had a huge section where one page would be a player, and the opposing page would be them at one of the great facilities offered at Missouri. This is why we now have to save old media guides because the historical stuff isn't in the new ones anymore.

 

A lot of schools are indeed making their media guides more like recruiting guides and putting their historical stuff online.